Time turns to 11 o'clock, and a knock come softly at the door. You had just finished tying the waistband of your new clothes, marveling at the way it hid your practically nonexistent curves, the fabric gliding over your skin comfortably.

"Come in," you say warily, the apprehension growing inside that it would be the Captain returning from his trip to the outhouse.

"It's just me," gentle steps came through the door and a hand rested upon your tunic-clad shoulder. His air is breathtakingly strong, a musky scent of a man mixed with sweet perfumes of a busty, fiercely tamed madame. Almost as lavishly dressed as yourself, his attire mixes colors of deep maroon and black, sword at hilt.

 "Oh, Kyung," you breathe a sigh of relief, dropping your guard a little past halfway.

 "Zico told me to come fetch you. You look," he pauses, raising his eyebrows at the sight of your attire, "like a young master."

"A young master?" you almost choke at his comparison.

"It's good that you don't have that much protruding from your chest," he points out, turning on the edge of his heel to avoid an airborne pillow being tossed at his wicked tongue.

"That's what all pirates want. A bosom to cuddle and a luscious body to ravish," you mumble softly.  

"Yeon-ah," he sighs, picking up the large ribbon from the table to cover your forehead.

"It's true isn't it? Isn't that what the Captain wants me for in the end? Just a good little-"

"If you keep mumbling with that pretty little mouth of yours, I might shove a piece of me inside to shut you up," he growls.  Horrified, you back away from his strong steps towards you until the coarse edges of the wall rub against your shoulder blades.  His face is nonchalant, lips curved outward in an expression you could not read.  There wasn't anywhere you could run. Yet when he touches your chin with the edge of his surprisingly smooth fingertips, he was no longer a threat.

"Right now, you look like a cabin boy. Quite the feminine one as well. And once you open your thin lips, everyone will know you are Zico's slave. So let me make this very clear."

Kyung pokes the bun atop the crown of your head, and unexpectedly breaks into a laugh.

"Don't…don't talk okay," he rubs his eyes, holding his chest in sheer joy, "was I that intimidating?"

"You-I- PARK KYUNG!" you screech.

"There there little one, I shall guide you through the ways of the pirate world. But for now," he lifts the ribbon to your forehead, tying it securely, "just stay hidden."

---

"HEY!" Yukwon giggles over a rum, two girls on either arm. Clearly, they look upon you in amusement, your short stature making a noticeable difference between the pirates. Their s are almost fully exposed; save for the rivets of fabric on exquisitely colored gowns daintily covering perked s.  You couldn't draw your eyes away from such a ridiculous sight.

"Party started early?" Zico gives him a punch to the chest before walking past in the bar. You follow him cautiously, eyes peeling for any of the other crew members.  

"Relax," Kyung eases his arm around you. Zico's eyes dart to Kyung's hand before his body disappears into the crowd of merrily drunk guests. Was he frowning at Kyung's skinship? Were your eyes deceiving the look upon his face as jealousy? He would never be jealous, no, he could not be. Not when he was surrounded by riches, cheap women, and his leadership over a crew.

 "Minhyuk's over there," Kyung points, opening your eyes to the young man sitting alone in the corner. 

The bar here was definitely a grand upgrade from what you experienced at home.  Courtesans glorified and entranced men on a stage far to the left, proficient in their trade of musical skills and provocative clothing.  Just a peek of their legs would have men roaring on their backsides for more. Long, drawn out tables displayed tens of bottles of rum, whiskey, and anything sufficient liquor that came through the broken gates of embargo.  By the placement of the ceiling, you could tell that there were private rooms that stretched further into an open balcony of stone. Extravagance, was an understatement.

"What's the captain doing?" you pester Minhyuk with the childish thought. "Business" surely did not mean women. Minhyuk's tunic sported deep autumn colors of brown and burnt orange, fitting for his personality. He pats the barrel of pickles beside him, gesturing you to sit down. You hop on beside him, the dagger underneath your tunic shifting in the fine leather pouch wrapped around your small thigh.  Thin white strips of cloth had covered the small cut upon your finger, yet the burning touch of Captain Zico's kiss remains.

"Setting up a deal. We need a few crew members before we can head out to our greatest adventure yet."

"Greatest adventure?"

Captain Zico's hair flits a bit in the crowd, but you find that you lose him again to the throng of customers.

"We're going to the Nighting Geil Isles ."

"Nighting-"

"I can explain everything, just stop mixing your voice up alright?" he narrows his eyes at two burly men, who shrug off Minhyuk's glare and saunter away. He lowers his voice, and draws you close to his strapping body.

"Zico's going after something really big this time, and there's no changing his mind.  It's a pity he has to pull a few strings, kill a few people-"

You try your best to hide the boiling pressure of fear bursting from your bounded chest. Zico's silhouette passes on the wall behind you momentarily, chills traveling through your bones.  

"-but he was too excited to listen to any of us. Jihoon was completely enthralled at the thought of going there. "

"But -"

"Shhh. Listen," he places a slender finger to your feminine lips. Minhyuk looked extremely enchanting, the bar's yellow lanterns giving his cheeks a glow of serenity.  He brushes off a courtesan who tugs at his collar playfully from behind, a polite whisper sending her laughing nervously away.

"Nighting Geil Isles is a legend. Only a few pirates still alive boast about what pertains to the location. What lies there is uncertain, each story is so twisted and different those grandfathers could be half losing their minds. And you could go crazy, with that kind of treasure."

Minhyuk refrains from speaking, scrutinizing you and continues with satisfaction that you stopped pestering him.

"Zico's looking for Yojeong, the great eastern fairy," Jaehyo puts a long arm around your shoulders.

"Her residence lies in Nighting Geils Isles, or so they say. She grants you only one wish, of anything you desire, without any limitations or specifications. She knows a man's heart."

"Which is why we're here. To get information, and to have fun while we're at it, "Jaehyo slurs into your ear. A few courtesans brush up against all three of you, and the latter gladly took one of them away to dance.

"Oh my Minhyuk what a little cute thing you've got here," one of the girls purr against your neck.  Minhyuk looks at you hopelessly, "He's not really-"

"I think I'll go see where Kyung is," you declare firmly, impersonating Taeil's voice to the best of your ability. You push yourself off the wooden barrel, squeezing through the ruckus and out of Minhyuk's sight. She clucks her tongue in disappointment, latching onto Minhyuk's arm instead.  

Keep close to one of us at all times. If you would like to most protection, stay at Kyung or Minhyuk's side.

Kyung, unfortunately, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had gone in one of the private rooms upstairs, or to the stables behind the inn. A flash of red hair exits the bar a few feet away where you stood. Your judgment clouded by the tales of the Geil Isles, you maneuver to the back entrance of the bar, and the familiar smell of manure and hay spark a wrinkle in your nose.

"Kyung?" you call out, the lights of the bar evanescent to the darkness outside.  The stable is open, horses whining gently to your presence. "Kyung are you here?"

Then, it happens.

A huge force pushes you down into an empty stall and slams the lock shut. You scramble backwards, screaming when grime and grease of a hand hooks onto the small of your wrist.  He haughtily laughs, practically shivering at the prize he's found alone. Whoever this person is, he doesn't let go too easily.

"Oh look. A little lost minx. Maybe you should think twice before speaking like a woman."

The pirate cheekily grins, eyes red and mouth bruised from kissing too many for the night. But in his mind, he was about to grab another opportunity.  He looms over you, perhaps as tall as Jihoon, matted black hair clinging to a sharply chiseled face. How could you have been  stupid enough to think Kyung was outside? He was practically a Casanova.

"Let go!" you shriek, struggling to free yourself from his dirty grasp. A sharp pain skims across your leg and your screams only intensify into empty air.

"Alright little lotus, I'll let you go."

Remnants of hay are abrasive on your open skin, darkly staining your tunic. Maneuvering so that you're pressed against the wall, he ties your wrists without effort even drunk as can be.

"S-Stop," you whimper, helpless without one of the crew by your side.  You could barely find the strength to stand and fight.

"Not til I'm finished," the stranger jerks your chin to what little light was streaming in through the stall. He throws you roughly on the dirt, the unbuckling of a belt clinking in your ears.

"Please, don't, " you gasp.

"You're mine," he slithers, the sound of the expensive fabric ripping to shreds as he positioned himself, rancid breath ghosting over your neck.

"ZICO!" you scream at the top of your lungs, fighting against the numbing pain on your leg.

Just as you close your eyes and feel the pirate shift to forward, a low grunt breaks the silence in the night. Something warm drips onto your back, iron ripping through bone and organs pulls back, and the pirate falls. In a matter of minutes you would have been , or worse, already injured in the sadistic heat of the moment. You're shivering from the shock when gentle hands untie you and pull your traumatized body into a comforting chest.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay with Minhyuk?" Kyung admonishes, your hair that had fallen across your back.

"K-Kyung," you sob, unable to contain the dreaded feelings of becoming ruined.

"Shhh, don't worry. I'm here to protect you. It's alright Yeon-ah. He's dead now."

A rustle of feet burst through the stable and the horses whiney in confusion. Six pairs of feet clutter around the both of you, swords drawn and at the ready.

"Accidents happen huh?" Captain Zico puts the pirates sword back in its scabbard.  "All who draw the sword will die by the sword," he murmurs, kicking your attacker to the side. "Rotten bastard."

"Captain Zico, I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have disobeyed, if you want to punish me-"

"Shut up," he commands.

Without sparing you another glance, he exits, brushing the blood off his shoe on a tree. He could not help but feel the hint of anger seeing you wrapped in the arms of his best friend. For just that second, he wanted to steal you from Kyung's arms, to comfort you as if he cared, as if you were anything more than just his own property. Zico contemplates the thought, running his thumb over the mouth that had sealed the wound of his own slave. Was he truly attracted to this young being? It could not have been more than a desire for her body, right?

However, Zico was much more than a man who craved a woman's touch. Years alone had made him selfish, without a companion to stand by him or to heed his words.  He sought to settle down someday, as most greedy men do, to be satisfied with a simple life by the sea.  There would be one day when his longing for treasure deceased, when he discovers a treasure he could not bear to escape his clutches. But for now, the map to the Nighting Geil Isles was good enough for him.

At least, he hoped it would be.